Method and Apparatus for Distributing Configuration Files in a Distributed Control System

• US 20090172223A1
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Automation Incorporated (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Schaffner, Heinz, Dhayagude, Nitin, Lee, Kenneth S., Van de Steeg, Kerry, Blair, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,904,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/104
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/054 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/1101 Remote I-O
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/1138 Configuration of I-O
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/1142 Load in replacement I-O stored configuration

Abstract

The invention described herein provides a system and method for distributing and applying a configuration file from a master device (102) to a slave device (104) in a distributed control system (100). According to aspects of the invention, a configuration file is saved at a master device (102) and distributed to the slave device (104) via the data payload of a fieldbus protocol, such as the CANopen protocol. Aspects of the present invention may be used to further configure an I/O island or sub-network (108) that is attached to the slave device (104). Further aspects of the present invention may be used to repair or replace failed devices in a distributed control system (100).

Claims

1. A method for configuring a slave device in a distributed control system using a fieldbus protocol comprising:

(a) receiving at the slave device a configuration file in a data payload via the fieldbus protocol;

(b) extracting at the slave device the configuration file; and

(c) loading at the slave device the configuration file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fieldbus protocol is the CANopen protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed control system is an industrial automation system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the slave device uses the configuration file to configure a sub-network attached to the slave device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration file was created at the master device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration file was created at a separate computing device and transferred to the master device.

7. A method for configuring a slave device in a distributed control system using a fieldbus protocol comprising:

(a) creating at the master device a configuration file; and

(b) sending by the master device the configuration file to the slave device via one or more data payload portions of the fieldbus protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fieldbus protocol is the CANopen protocol.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the distributed control system is an industrial automation system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein step (a) comprises:

(i) receiving configuration instructions from a separate computing device; and

(ii) formatting the configuration instructions into a configuration file.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(c) saving the configuration file at the master device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of saving the configuration file includes saving a date and a time corresponding to when the configuration file was created.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

(d) if the slave device re-boots, determining whether a current configuration file on the slave device has a date and time that match the date and time corresponding to when the configuration file was created by the master, and;

(i) if the date and time on the current configuration file on the slave device do not match the date and time corresponding to when the configuration file was created by the master, re-sending by the master device the configuration file to the slave device via one or more data payload portions of the fieldbus protocol.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

(d) recognizing at the master device that a second slave device boots up, and sending by the master device the configuration file to the slave device via one or more data payload portions of the fieldbus protocol.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the slave device uses the configuration file to configure a sub-network attached to the slave device.

16. An industrial automation system comprising:

a programmable logic controller (PLC) having a software program for creating a downloadable configuration file;

a network interface module (NIM) coupled to the PLC via a fieldbus network adapted to receive the downloadable configuration file via the fieldbus network from the PLC; and

an I/O module coupled to the NIM, the I/O module being configured by the configuration file.

17. The industrial automation system of claim 16, wherein the fieldbus network is a CANopen network.

18. The industrial automation system of claim 16, wherein the PLC is adapted to save the configuration file.

19. The industrial automation system of claim 18, wherein saving the configuration file includes saving a date and a time corresponding to when the configuration file was created.

20. The industrial automation system of claim 19, wherein the PLC is further adapted to determine, when the I/O module re-boots, if a current configuration file on the I/O module has a date and time that match the date and time corresponding to when the configuration file was created.

21. A distributed I/O island for an industrial automation system, including:

one or more I/O points;

a network interface module (NIM), wherein the NIM includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, and wherein the memory contains computer executable instructions to perform the steps of;

(a) receiving at the NIM a configuration file in a data payload via a fieldbus protocol;

(b) extracting at the NIM the configuration file; and

(c) loading at the NIM the configuration file.

22. The distributed I/O island of claim 21, wherein the fieldbus protocol is the CANopen protocol.

23. The distributed I/O island of claim 21, wherein the NIM uses the configuration file to configure the one or more I/O points.